The present invention relates to a surface facing system, in particular for covering walls, which is composed essentially of an under-structure which is attached to the edifice, and exposed elements.
To cover ceilings, walls, and facades, it is common to attach exposed elements using an under-structure that is connected to a building. On outer walls of buildings in particular, these exposed elements which are designed as facade elements are used for aesthetic purposes and to ensure ventilation. Facade elements are known in a large number of variants of surface design, construction, and the material used therefor, such as wood, glass, plastic, ceramic, natural stone, and metal.
The facade elements must be attached to the under-structure in a manner that ensures that they are secured from falling out due to forces that may occur, and that ensures that any thermally-induced changes in length do not stress the entire structure. For this reason, the under-structure to be attached to the building in order to cover a wall or facade is designed at least to not include horizontal profiled supports for the facade elements. The lengths of the profiled supports are typically in the range of three to six meters. It must be ensured at all times that the facade elements that are attached in a section of the under-structure do not introduce any force into the particular adjacent section. The horizontal dimension of the profiled support member of the under-structure is selected such that it results from a multiple of the modular dimension of the particular facade elements to be used, thereby ensuring that adjacent sections are not bridged.
The dimensions of elements used to cover facades and other surfaces of edifices are limited in particular due to the occurrence of dilatations and the associated problem of compensating for forces that are generated; when the dimensions are large, a great deal of additional effort is required to realize the overall design.
The dimensions of facade elements are also limited by their specific material properties, such as specific weight, resistance to fracture, and elasticity. To facilitate installation, it should also be possible to handle the facade elements without the use of a heavy auxiliary device.
DE 102 60 684 A1 describes a plate-shaped facade element which is composed essentially of concrete, is provided with a reinforcement insert composed of glass fiber, and includes holding elements which are laminated in place and are used for concealed attachment.
Dimensions of 1.20 by 0.60 meters, and a surface area of less than 0.8 square meters are stated as being the most favorable, and they ensure easy handling. The associated support system includes two vertical profiled members for every facade element.
According to DE 198 03 150 A1, a further facade element for covering and outer walls and holding them, and a facade covering include fastening elements situated on the back side, which are used for concealed attachment. Advantageously, the facade elements are manufactured via extrusion, which means they have relatively small dimensions which ensure easy handling.
The facade is covered using a frame structure which is attached to the outer wall of the building, to which special vertical profiled supports are attached, in which the facade elements are hung using the fastening elements and without the use of additional safeguards.
This type of facade covering results in an overall exposed surface having fine detail.
A surface that having similar fine detail is described in DE 42 42 535 C2.
The facade element described therein, which is anchored to an under-structure which is an integral part of a building, is formed by a frame which is filled with shelving columns of small-scale plates.
GB 2 243 854 A makes known a lightweight curtain wall which includes a support frame which is mounted on an under-structure on the building, and which includes a steel plate and several wall plates situated thereon. The wall plates that have the exposed surface are provided with grooves in which sections of the profiled elements connected to the support frame engage, as holding means. A large number of support frames are mounted on H-shaped profiled elements which are connected to the building using special installation bolts, to ensure that forces and vibrations that are generated, e.g. by wind or earthquakes are absorbed.
A feature that is common to all of the solutions mentioned above is the fact that the covering of building surfaces, e.g. facades, is realized only using elements, the dimensions of which must not exceed certain values within a narrow range, and which require a complex support and under-structure.